Extraction and Recovery of Critical Metals from Electronic Waste Using ISASMELT™ Technology

Electronic goods are a major consumer of many critical metals, including copper, nickel, tin, zinc, lead, and precious metals. The processing end-of-life electronic equipment (E-Scrap) is becoming increasingly important to maintain the supply metals required globally, reduce environmental pollution. Currently, dominant route for E-Scrap pyrometallurgical processing, with first stage being reductive smelting produce black copper ‘clean’ discard slag. management slag in this step central success recycling process. ISASMELT™ furnace has highly turbulent bath, providing conditions that generate high rates zinc fuming allow wide range operable conditions. This enables efficient occur, whilst overcoming challenges associated alternative technologies. Operable compositions heavily influenced by kinetic processes, piloting understanding performance pilot tests were performed, fluxing targets tested confirm these benefits. testing demonstrated levels (>80%) obtained furnace, decreasing iron silica flux additions manage detrimental viscosity effects In addition, it was slags containing concentrations alumina (>10 wt%) an furnace. technology be only able low minimal requirements.